them; as if I were taken, and they left; or were studying by these thoughts, to alleviate my own lot of banish. ment; tho' I am afraid, that none fhall blefs themselves long upon the account that they are left behind; but my defign is, to have you making for fnares and judgements; that ye may have both the greatest readiness and the greatest shelters; for both fhall be in one. Clear accompts, and put off the old, for it is like, that what is to come, will be both sudden and furprifing, that it will not give you time for this. Beware of taking on new debt. I am afraid, that these things, that many are looking on as favours, are but come to bind men together in bundles for a fire. I am fure if these things be embraced, there fhall not be long time given for ufing of them; and this last of their favours and fnares is fent to men, to fhow that they are that, which otherwife they will not confefs themselves to be. Tell. all, that the shelter and benefit of this fhall neither be great nor long: But the fnare of it thall be great and prejudicial. And for myfelf, I think for the prefent he is calling me to another land. But how long fhall be my abode, or what employment he has for me there, I know not: For I cannot think he is taking me there to live and lurk only. I reft, DONALD CARGIL. A Letter to John Malcom and Archibald Allifon Prisoners. EAR Friends, death in Chrift, and for Chrift, is DEA never much to be bemoaned; and lefs at this time, than any other, when these that furvive have nothing to live among but miferies, perfecution, fnares, forrows, and finning. And where the only defirable fight, viz. Chrift reigning in a free and flourishing Church, is wanting and the greatly grieving and offenfive object to devote fouls, viz. devils and the worst of the wicked reigning and raging, is still before our eyes, and tho' we had greater things to leave, and better times to live in, yet eternity does to far exceed and excel these things in their greatest perfection, that they who fee and are fure (and Ave fee indeed being made fure) will never let a tear fall, or a figh go at the farewel, but would rather make a flip to get death, nor to fhun it, if both were not equally deteftable to them, upon the account of God's com mandments, mandments, whom they neither dare nor are willing to offend, even to obtain heaven itself. And there are none who are his, but they must see themselves infinitely advantaged in the exchange. And accordingly haften, if fin, the flesh, want of afsurance, did not withstand: and there is no doubt, but these must be weak and poor fpirits, that are bewitched or enchanted, either with the fruition or hopes of the world. And as earth has nothing to hold a refolute and reconciled foul, fo heaven wants nothing to draw it; and to fome to live here, has been always wearifome, fince their peace was made, Christ's sweetness known, and their own weakness and unusefulness experienced: but now it becomes hatefully loathfome, fince devils and the worst of men are become the head and dreadful by their ftupendous permiffions, loofings and lengthenings in their reigning, and friends are become uncomfortable, because they will neither christianly bear and bide, nor rightly go forward to effectuate their own delivery. But for you there is nothing at this time, (if you yourfelves be fure with God, which, I hope, either you are, or will be) which can make me bewail your death; tho' the cause of it doth both encrease my affection to you and indignation against thefe enemies. Yet for you, notwithstanding of the unjuftnefs of the fentence, go not to eternity with indignation against them upon your own account. Neither let the goodness of the cause ye fuffer for, found your confidence in God, and your hope of well-being; for were the action never fo good, and performed without the leaft failing, which is not incident to human infirmity, it could never be a caufe of obtaining mercy, nor yet commend us to that grace from which we are to obtain it There is nothing now which is yours, when you are pleading and petitioning for mercy, that must be remembered, but your fins; for in effect, there is nothing elfe ours. Let your fins then be on your heart, as your forrow, which we must bewail, before we be parted with them, as the captive her father, not because she was to leave him, but because she had been fo long with him. And let these mercies of God, and merits of Christ be before your eyes, as your hopes, and your winning to these as the only rock upon which we can be faved, if there be any thing feen or looked to in ourselves but fin, we cannot expect remiffion and falvation allenarly through free free grace, in which expectation only it can be obtained: neither can we earnestly beg, till we fee ourselves destitute of all that procures favour, and full of all that merits, and hastens vengeance and wrath. And befides, it heightens the price of that precious blood, by which only we can have redemption from fin and wrath; it being the only fufficient in itself, and only acceptable to the Father, and fo it muft be, being the bleffed and gracious device and refult of infinite wisdom, which makes the eternal God to be admired in his graciousness and holiness, having found out the way of his own payment without our hurt, and which makes all return to their own defires, and there to rest in an eternal complacency, for this way returns God to his glory, jnftice to its fatisfaction, difquieted confciences of men, frighted and awakened with the fight of fin and wrath, to eafe, peace and affurance, and the fouls of men to fel. lowship with God, and hope of eternal falvation. Now the righteoufnefs of Chrift being made fure to us, fecures all this for us, and this both is believed and apprehended by faith, it being the hand by which we grip this rock, and if it be true, it cannot but be ftrong, and we faved. Look well then to your faith, that it be a faith growing out of regeneration, and the new creature, and have Chrift for its righteoufnefs, hope and rejoicing, and be fealed by the spirit of God. And what this fealing is, when it comes, it will abundantly fhow itself; and there can be no other full fatisfaction to a foul than this: But feek till ye find, and whatever ye find for the prefent, let your laft act be to lay and leave yourselves on the righteoufnefs of his Son, expecting life through his Name, acccording to the promise of the Father. Dear friends, your work is great, and time short; but this is a comfort, and the only comfort in your present condition, that you have a God infinite in mercy to deal with, who is ready at all times to forgive, but efpecially perfons in your cafe, who have been jeoparding your lives upon the account of the gofpel, whatever failings or infirmities in you, that action hath been accompanied with; for it is the action itself, which is the duty of this whole covenanted kingdom, and not the failing, for which you are brought to fuffering. Seek not then the favours of men, by making your duty your fin; but confefs your failings to God, and look for his mer су cy through Jefus Chrift, who has faid "Whosoever lofeth his life for my fake, fhall keep it unto eternal life” and though it will prophet a reprobate nothing to die after this manner; for nothing can be profitable without love, which only is, or can be in a believer; yet it should be no difadvantage, but in a manner, the best way of dying; for it would take fome from his days that he might have lived, and so prevent many fins that he would have committed, and fo the fin is leffened, that is the cause of eternal fufferings. 1 And let not this difcourage you, or lay you by, that the work is great, and the time short, though this indeed fhould mind you of your finful neglect, that were not better provided for fuch a fhort and peremptory_fummons, which you should always have expected. It also fhews the greatness of the fin of these enemies, that not only take away unjustly your bodily life, but alfo fhorten your time of preparation, and fo do their utmost to deprive you of eternal life. Yet, I fay, let not this either difcourage, or lay you by, for God can perfect great works in a fhort time, and one of the greatest things that befal men, shall be effectuate in the twinkling of an eye, which is one of the fhorteft. I affure you, he put the thief on the cross through all his defires, convictions, converfion, juftification, fanctification, &c. in fhort time, and left nothing to bemoan, but that there did not remain time enough to glorify him upon earth, that had done all things for him. Go on then, and let your intent be seriousness; the greatness of your forrow, and the height of love, in a manner make a compenfation for the fhortnefs of time, and go on, though ye yourfelves have gone fhort way, for where these things are, one hour will perform more than thoufands where there were not, either fuch enforcements or power, and be perfuaded in this, you have him as much and more haftening than yourselves, for you may know his motion by your own, they being both fet forward by him: and dear friends, be not terrified at the manner of your death, which to me seems to be the easiest of all, where you come to it without pain, and in perfect judgment, and go through fo fpeedily, before the pain be felt, the glory is come; but pray for a greater measure of his prefence, which only can make a pafs through the hardeft things cheerful and pleasant. I bid you farewell, ex I pecting pecting though our parting be fad, our gathering fhall be joyful again. Only your great advantage in the cafe you are in, is, to credit him much, for that is his glory, and engages him to perform whatever ye have credited him with. No more, but avow boldly to give a full testimony for his truths, as you defire to be avowed of him. Grace, mercy and peace be with you. DONALD CARGIL. To the prifoners in the correction-houfe of Edinburgh. DEA EAR friends, I think ye cannot but know that I am both concerned and afflicted with your condition, and I would have written fooner, and more, if I had not feared that you might have been jealous (under your distempers) that I had been feducing you to follow me, and not God, and truth. It had been my earnest and frequent prayer to God, (as he himself knows), to be led in all truths, I judge I have been in this gracioufly answered; but I defire none, if they themselves judge it not to be truth, to adhere to any thing that I have either preached, written, or done, to any hazard, much more to the lofs of life: but I have been afflicted with your condition, and could not but bè more, if God's great gracioufnefs in this begun discovery, and your fincerity and fingleness gave me not, that God's purpose is to turn this to the great mercy of his poor church, and yours, if ye marr it not; and yet the great fin, and pillar of Satan, that is in this fnare, makes me tremble. It was God's mercy to you, that gave you fuch convictions, that made you, at leaft, fome of you once to part with thefe men and it was undoubtedly your fin, that you continued not fo, but after convictions, did caft yourselves in new temptations; for convictions ought to be tenderly guided, left the spirit be grieved from whom they come; but this fecond difcovery, though it be with a fharper rebuke, as it makes God's mercy wonderful, fo it fhall render your perfeverance in that courfe, finful and utterly inexcufable, for God has broken the fnare, and it will be your great fin, if you go not out with great hafte, joy, and thankfulness, when God's wonderful difcovery has made fuch a way for your delivery; for God having now fhown you the ring-leaders and authors of thefe opinions, to be perfons of fuch abominations, calls B you |